Ceasefire – In the Dead of Night (2013) ENGLISH

In April 2012, I explained to you how YouTube can divide people but can nonetheless also bring good surprises in our lives… That was the day I told you how I fell in love with Imagine Dragons' music, after discovering their "Continued Silence" EP. Back then, I kept telling friends they were probably the next big thing. Some of them were thinking I was a bit overreacting. Well… was I now?

Anyway, same thing happens with social networks: Twitter, Facebook etc. are criticized for lack of security, for cutting people from the "real" world. Thing is: it depends on how you use them. Truth is: I discovered quite a few new interesting bands I would have probably never heard of if not making new friends on social networks. Here's one of them…

Ceasefire is a California-based band formed in 2011 that was introduced to me as being "compared to The Killers, U2, and Thirty Seconds To Mars by KROQ". Although being European, the KROQ radio is a solid reference to me when it comes to good rock music and these three bands sure talk to me. This sure got me curious enough to listen to the band's EP.

Colorful album cover of "In the Dead of Night"

 The EP's opening song, "I Want to Know", is a track that surely makes you understand that the foursome is definitely a ROCK band. Fifteen seconds and you've already landed in their world. I always respect bands whose members are making "one" but I also like to listen to each musician's specific talent in bands. Bass is always the toughest instrument to hear on songs and on live performances and I couldn’t help but notice the fine bass lines of Tristan Montgomery on that one… while still being able to enjoy Anthony Hainsworth's drums beats and Kamren Alexander's guitar melody. Funnily enough, generally speaking, this song reminds me of my Belgian musician friends of Vegas… which sounds good to me!

 

"Wake Up" is the song that was sent to me as an introduction to the band. The song starts with a keyboard melody, well-supported by Hainsworth's drums. Always been a "drummer girl" so… that song had me at hellooooo. Little did I know that "Wake Up" would bring a little more than good solid drumming…

Verse 2 brought a smile on my face: here's the U2 reference! The voice of Ray Alexander surely has a few common points with Bono's voice. I wouldn't mind see the boys covering one or two U2 songs on a live performance: from what I've heard while listening to the EP, all members surely have what it takes to be able to do so!

Let's get back to our song… because there were other surprises on this 3:32-long track. 1:55, here comes the guitar. 2:13… this is what makes me feel alive while listening to music, this is exactly what usually sends an electric wave through my spine (never felt that? Really?). 2:50, I'm up in my living room! OK… then that was a sure thing: I needed to put my hands on the whole EP…

 

OK so... a rock band? No soft melodies for girls while cuddling with their boyfriend? Of course, there is… "Always". Every time I hear "Always" and "love song", I go back into the 90ies and the Bon Jovi song (Don't blame me, I was born in the late 70ies!). Although the Ceasefire song is different than the one written by the well-known New Jersey band, I realize some true Bon Jovi fans could find similarities in the way of singing and playing the guitar solo. The Ceasefire "Always" song is one of those tracks that belong to what I call the "timeless love songs": you listen to those and it's hard to know if they were written in the 80ies, the 90ies, the 2000s or right now. Making them damn effective!

 

"In the Dead of Night", title-song of this EP sure has a lot of power… I like songs telling stories or lines that give you the opportunity to use your imagination (A reason why I like Roxette's Per Gessle and Stereophonics' Kelly Jones so much). "Miss Cinderella on a stripper pole, she shakes her money cause she knows her eyes are gold and Jesus never could reach her like you" was surely interesting enough to get my attention…

The video premiere of "In the Dead of Night" was yesterday. A perfect occasion to introduce you to the boys of Ceasefire, caught in a world where the 30 Seconds To Mars, Mad Max and Star Wars surrealistic universes seem to have collided to become one.

 

"My Way" is probably the most haunting song of the EP. Lyrics using different variations and words rhyming with "way", additional vocal harmonies and chords section to add just enough 'drama' to the song. And... that haunting melody with that guitar riff that sticks to the back of your head until it fully rises into a great solo, paired with Ray Alexander's voice. Alexander's voice is full of enough sweetness and power to handle a song like that without a-n-y trouble at all. I listened to "My Way" a few times and the more I was listening, the more his voice made me think of someone. Of course… At times, on this specific song, I could almost hear Billy Idol's voice!

One more "press play", I love that solo too much!

 

The final song of the EP is "We're Not Breaking Tonight", a mid-tempo song that is just perfect to end this EP. The track is starting slowly with the melody getting more and more powerful as seconds go by… Here's one that could indeed fit with the reference to The Killers that was given to me earlier today. Although "We're Not Breaking Tonight" would have totally fit as one track on Robbie Williams 'Take The Crown album too.

Let's get back to the Ceasefire boys, though… a lot of musical references (U2, Bon Jovi, Billy Idol, The Killers, Robbie Williams…) were used in this article but they were just tiny clues of what's in store. Ceasefire has its own sound and universe, provided to you by the Alexander brothers, Tristan Montgomery and Anthony Hainsworth. And… it's up to you to find out what it's all about…

I've kept the funny anecdote for last… The guy who introduced me to Ceasefire and me had a common point. Imagine Dragons. This is really funny how much the little dragons keep popping into my life to bring good things… On many levels, actually.
Could this Imagine Dragons coincidence be a sign of good luck for the Ceasefire guys and help them taking the same path than the Vegas foursome? Well, that's definitely all I wish for them…

OK, let's go for another round of Ceasefire, shall we? Here's another one which was released as a single (not included on In the Dead of Night).

 

Ceasefire’s website : http://ceasefiremusic.com/
Ceasefire’s Twitter : https://twitter.com/Ceasefiremusic
Ceasefire’s Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ceasefiretheband
“In The Dead of Night” on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-the-dead-of-night-ep/id672132473

Tracklist :

I Want To Know
Wake Up
Always
In the Dead of Night
My Way
We're Not Breaking